All of Apple's big AI announcements were about AI “for us in general” 🤔

All of Apple's big AI announcements were about AI “for us in general.” Google, Meta, Amazon, and of course OpenAI should also be watched.
At the end of the day, Apple's long-awaited AI announcement was just like Apple. When Apple finally announced Apple Intelligence (a brand-like product that makes good use of the acronym for technology), there was actually a feeling of being stuck with the fruit logo of a tech giant. Apple's Tim Cook touted that Apple Intelligence is “personal, powerful, and private,” and will be integrated across Apple's app and hardware ecosystem.
Of course, Apple has always aimed for a protected “walled garden” that provides comprehensive security measures while also imposing many restrictions on users. Apple Intelligence is no exception. But the highly personal context of users in Apple's environment, combined with the power of generative AI, makes Apple Intelligence probably something only Apple can achieve.

Apple isn't a leader in generative AI, nor is it close to the cutting edge, but it's betting on something else. It's AI “for us,” that is, AI for billions of users who don't care about models, APIs, data sets, GPUs, devices, or general artificial intelligence (AGI) possibilities. In other words, they are “normal people,” as people in the tech industry like to call it, that is, people who simply want AI that is easy to use, convenient, privacy-protected, and just works.

The long list of features Apple executives promised to roll out to iPhone, iPad, and Mac OS devices is long. Siri has been upgraded to make the assistant “more natural, more contextual, and more personal.” If Siri can't answer the question herself, ask the user if they can use ChatGPT (according to Apple's new agreement with OpenAI). Also, Siri has an “on-screen recognition” function, and eventually Siri can perform more agent-like actions on user content between applications.

iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia will add new system-wide writing tools and new ways for AI to help prioritize everything from messages to notifications. Also, fun is fully expressed, such as AI image creation on the device and a function called Genmojis, which allows users to instantly create custom emojis (smiley faces with cucumbers on their eyes to show that they are at a spa).

But unlike the approach where Google and Meta throw everything against the wall to integrate generative AI into their products, Apple has taken a different approach and placed a carefully designed layer of generative AI on top of the operating system. None of them seem to have been added as an afterthought, at least in Monday's demo (like Instagram's Meta AI is everywhere, Facebook, and in fact, none of them actually use the word AI in the sense of “artificial intelligence.”

By rebranding AI as Apple Intelligence, we will provide technology that consumers have heard and read since over a year ago (and something that sounded frightening, futuristic and slightly strange, but safe and secure enough to calm the mind. This is a technology version of a mild soap for sensitive skin, providing consumers with a freshly washed face without using ingredients that are difficult to pronounce and may be irritating.

Of course, demonstrations by major tech companies are famous for making big announcements that don't necessarily meet expectations. Also, there were few details about important issues such as the source of data supporting the Apple Intelligence function, the terms of agreement between Apple and OpenAI regarding access to ChatGPT, and how Apple plans to deal with inevitable hallucinations arising from AI output. At the end of the day, being safe and secure doesn't mean being “accurate.” Once Apple Intelligence “comes into the world,” things will definitely get interesting and confusing.

The technology world is waging a fierce battle, and it is interesting to see which companies can utilize AI to become the next game changer in the industry. We still don't know if it's Apple or not, but the refined simplicity of Apple Intelligence's announcement has been warned by Google, Meta, Amazon, and OpenAI: AI can be complicated, but as Steve Jobs said, “Sometimes making it simple is harder than making it complicated. To keep it simple, you have to work hard to make your thoughts clear.” Perhaps AI companies will eventually figure out how to keep it simple and “move mountains,” as Jobs said.